A man caught driving at 170kmh who blew over twice the legal alcohol limit in Waikato has horrified police.

A highway patrol unit on State Highway 1 north of Huntly on Saturday night noticed the south bound utility approaching him at speed about 7.30pm, Inspector Freda Grace said.

"The officer saw the vehicle coming towards him by the Ohinewai-Tahuna over-bridge and thought it looked like it was travelling pretty fast but it wasn't until he activated his radar that he realised just how fast it was actually going.

"The front facing radar locked on to the vehicle at 170kmh and the rear facing device confirmed the same speed.''

When pulled over the driver was breath tested and returned a result of 805mcg, over twice the legal limit of 400mcg for a fully licensed adult driver.

"As a result of his speed the Huntly man has had his licence suspended for 28 days and will face court action. What, if any, drink driving charges he may face will be determined by the results of a blood test he elected to take.''

Irrespective of that outcome, Grace said a week out from the holiday weekend it is important to highlight the risks not just to this man but every other motorist who was using the road at the time.

Police in Waikato are gearing up for road safety blitz in the lead up to the long weekend.

Road safety isn't solely a Police issue, Grace said, it's a community issue and ''we all need to play our part''.

"Saturday's incident falls right across the fatal five factors of speed, alcohol, keeping left, seatbelts and reckless or dangerous driving and if we're all going to make it to Monday this holiday weekend we all have to ensure that our drivers and vehicles are fit for the road."